1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to folding camping trailers and, more particularly, to folding camping trailers having a combined door and step assembly.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of camping trailers and recreational vehicles for comfortable travel is well known. Recreational vehicles include those that can be driven down the road as a self-contained unit and others that are towed such as folding camping trailers (hereinafter referred to as "folding trailers"). Besides providing shelter and creature comforts away from home, recreational vehicles must enable the owner to transport all manner of supplies, tools and lifestyle accessories such as camping equipment and hunting gear. This gear is commonly referred to as cargo. The ability to accommodate such cargo in storage areas integrally formed with the recreational vehicle is a major design goal of designers and manufacturers of recreational vehicles and, in particular, folding trailers.
When the user of a folding trailer arrives at a camping site, one of the user's first tasks is to setup the folding trailer and clear the camping site. This typically can involve unhooking the folding trailer from the towing vehicle, supporting the folding trailer with wood leveling blocks, raising the roof of the folding trailer and clearing the camping site with hand tools. The items necessary to complete these tasks generally include a crank handle for raising the folding trailer roof, wood blocks for leveling the folding trailer and hand tools, such as shovels, for clearing the camping site of debris. Each of these items is "bulky" and often tend to be single use items. There is a need in folding trailers for conveniently located and, preferably, integrally formed storage compartments in the folding trailers for storing articles such as these setup items.
A combined door and step assembly for use with folding trailers is known in the art and, in particular, from U.S. Pat. No. 3,488,082 to Wallace. The Wallace patent discloses a step and door support assembly for a folding trailer which includes a removable door. The door support is pivotally mounted on the folding trailer frame within a doorway opening of the frame. A folding step is also pivotally mounted on the folding trailer frame and is movable from a generally horizontal position to a position closing the doorway opening in the folding trailer side. The Wallace patent has no storage compartment located exterior of the folding trailer. The teachings of the Wallace patent are incorporated herein by reference.
An object of the present invention is to provide a folding trailer having conveniently located storage spaces for storing cargo items. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a folding trailer having storage spaces that are easily accessible by users of the folding trailer, yet utilize a combined door and step assembly.